N/A
N/A
The present invention relates generally to an automobile signal lamp such as a tail lamp, a stop lamp, a turn signal lamp, or the like, and more specifically to a power-efficient automobile signal lamp having a structure that allows the lamp to be formed into novel configurations.
FIG. 12 depicts a conventional automobile signal lamp 90, in which an LED lamp is employed as a light source 91. The irradiation angle of the LED lamp is restricted to about 40-60 degrees, and a plurality of LED lamps is required to glitter the entire surface of a lens 92.
The light source 91 is disposed in a matrix on a printed circuit board 93. Further, a lens cut 92a, which imparts the light distribution characteristic of a tail lamp or the like to the light from the light source 91, is disposed on a surface of the lens 92 in registration with the light source 91 on the circuit board 93.
One drawback of the conventional automobile signal lamp 90 is that the number of light sources 91 is determined with priority given to glittering the entire surface of the lens 92 instead of providing the required brightness of a tail lamp or the like. As a result, an excessive number of light sources 91 is employed for the luminance and more electricity is consumed than necessary, thereby causing efficiency to be low.
Moreover, as described above, the lens cuts 92a are disposed on the surface of the lens 92 in registration with the respective light sources 91 mounted on the circuit board 93. However, when the light sources 91 are disposed in a matrix on the circuit board 93, their arrangement is limited to the matrix form or the like, thereby restricting the position of the lens cuts 92. Because variations in the position of the lens cuts 92 are limited, the lens 92 becomes monotone, which causes further design limitations.
The present invention solves the aforementioned problems by providing an automobile signal lamp comprising at least one light emitting unit including a light source whose main light emitting direction is substantially the same as the irradiation axis of the automobile signal lamp, a first reflecting surface corresponding to a surface of revolution obtained by rotating around the irradiation axis a section of a parabolic line taking the light source as focal point, and a direction orthogonal to the irradiation axis of the automobile signal lamp as an axis of the parabola, and a second reflecting surface separated from the irradiation axis by a predetermined distance respectively in a direction to which the first reflecting surface reflects light from the source and reflecting light from the sources reflected from the first reflecting surface, in a direction parallel to the irradiation axis.
Other features, functions, and aspects of the invention will be evident to those of ordinary skill in the art from the Detailed Description of the Invention that follows.